LEIDEN.- With the major exhibition ‘Bronze Age. Fires of change’, the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities) in Leiden turns the spotlight on the rich legacy of a pivotal period in the prehistory of the Netherlands and Western Europe: the Bronze Age (2000-800 BC). ‘Bronze Age. Fires of change’ brings together the most beautiful and striking Bronze Age artefacts from the Netherlands and surrounding countries. Over 400 archaeological finds illustrate fascinating stories of the people at that time: their daily lives, rituals and customs. With prominent loans from museums and collections in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Belgium, Great Britain and Denmark, this is the first major exhibition on the Bronze Age in the Netherlands. The exhibition runs from 18 October 2024 to 16 March 2025.

Bronze: shiny like gold in the sun, hard, reusable, and more suited than stone for making strong weapons, beautiful jewellery and tools. More than 4000 years ago, its discovery sparked a series of spectacular cultural, social and technological changes. The growing demand for bronze and its composite materials, copper and tin, led to the emergence of extensive networks across land and sea, connecting Europe like never before. The results were powerful elites, a circular economy with the first ‘money’, and a radical transformation of the landscape. At the same time, ancestors, gods and natural forces played a central role in people’s lives.

On display in Leiden

The exhibition takes the visitor through more than 2000 years of major changes, technological developments and discoveries. Among the true highlights of the exhibition are metalworking masterpieces, such as the famous ‘golden hat of Schifferstadt’ (Germany) and the ‘Mold Gold Cape’ (Great Britain), jewellery and weapons. A special feature is the reunion – for the first time in 3400 years – of six giant ceremonial bronze swords. It is not only precious metal that shines; just as striking are the objects used in daily life, such as amber beads, the ‘oldest dress in the Netherlands’, a wooden ladle, a ladder, and toys made of clay, all preserved in the ground for millennia. Particular attention is paid to how the everyday world was interwoven with the world of ancestors and gods, as shown by the central role played by the solar cycle and the many precious sacrifices left in rivers and bogs. Recent research on ritual landscapes and burial mounds, ancestor worship, new language and DNA is also discussed.

Some see the Bronze Age as representing the dawn of modern Europe. The exhibition explores this idea, and what the period tells us about who we are today. In an audio tour, experts on the Bronze Age explain more about the latest scientific discoveries and the masterpieces in the exhibition.

The Bronze Age

4000 years ago, a new era dawned: the Bronze Age, a time of profound cultural, social and technological change in Europe. The driving force behind these major developments was bronze, a ‘new’ metal. It was preceded by large-scale migration from the Eastern steppe regions, bringing new customs, new DNA and new language to the West. These were communities characterised by connections over great distances, and their networks formed the foundation for the Bronze Age.

Thanks to the exchange of goods over land and sea, technological progress, an early form of money and intensive contacts, society changed for good. Elites formed and maintained close connections with each other. Religious ideas, symbols, rituals and astronomical knowledge were widely disseminated. As a result, remote parts of Europe became inextricably linked for the first time. Power, possessions and control frequently sparked conflicts, eventually leading to large-scale warfare with hundreds of warriors. A striking feature of the Bronze Age was the development of the sword, an object specifically created to kill one’s opponent.